Letter to the President
by Airam4u
Summary: Lee wrote a letter to the President that he gave to her just before the announcement of Gaius' verdict. This is following the penultimate episode of season Three, and could contain a spoiler.


Lee writes a letter to the President and handed it to her just before the verdict to the trial was announced.

I have no idea what the outcome of Gaius' trial will be in the third season finale. But there are three possibilites: Guilty, Not Guilty, and a Mistrial. So this story has a 1 in 3 chance of being a spoiler. I wrote this story just now because I couldn't get Lee's actions out of head. This story demanded to be written when I should have been working on a presentation I have to give in a couple of days.

Disclaimer: BSG doesn't belong to me, we all know who they belong to. I just felt the need to borrow them for this small bit of creative expression.

A/N: To my fans of the other two unfinished stories I have been working on, do not lose hope! I will return! I promise, just give me a couple of weeks. See my profile for more information.

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_Madam President,_

_I'm writing this letter to explain my actions. I'm not like you or my father. I can't just say that I don't need to explain myself and my actions to you. I want to explain why I am where I am now, why I am defending Gaius Baltar, and why I asked you those questions. I believe in justice Madam President. But not the justice that the mob and you demand. I believe in the justice that states that every man and woman of the Colonies is entitled to a free and fair trial. That's what humanity was guaranteed when we lived on the Twelve Colonies. Do those guarantees no longer exist? Has our fear and need for revenge outweighed our need to uphold what is right and wrong? Have we lost our sense of humanity and civilization?_

_I honestly believe in the system of government that we built on the Twelve Colonies. This isn't about my father or you. This is about my belief in that system. My father no longer trusts me and I have left the military to which I swore an oath to serve and protect, my belief in the system that I swore to protect is all I have left._

_That's why I negotiated a deal with Vice President Zarek back on the Astral Queen. Because we needed to adhere to the Articles of Colonization that mandated a fair and free election. When I held a gun to Colonel Tigh's head on Colonial One, I did that because I could not partake in a coup d'etat. Both you and the Admiral failed everyone in this fleet by your actions leading up to that moment. And I was placed in an unenviable position. To follow orders that I knew to be wrong and against everything in the oath I made when I became an officer, or to try and stop it._

_When I learned that you agreed with the Admiral in ordering the assassination of Admiral Cain. I lost my faith in the system. How could the leaders of our fleet condone an act forbidden by the Articles which I swore to uphold. I couldn't do it. That's why I let go when I was floating through space. It seemed like the system I swore to protect no longer existed. The leaders of the human race weren't leading us anymore. You were reacting, out of fear. What was there left to fight for? A fleet of survivor's led by individuals who forgot what we were fighting for? Who our real enemies are? That our survival isn't just about numbers? It took me a long time to rebuild the trust I had for you and my father after that. Eventually I started to have hope for the system as well._

_That's why I am defending Gaius. I do blame him for what has happened to us. But if I don't make sure that he gets a fair trial and try my hardest to defend him, then I let the mob of fear win. Not the voice of reason. Not the voice of humanity. I never understood how my grandfather could defend the worst of the worst. I understand it now. Because if he didn't make sure that the worst humans got the best possible defense then what hope did the rest of us have? If people knew that even the worst of us received a fair trial, then the innocent and others knew that they would get the same treatment. They had confidence in the system. I can't let that confidence falter again. Not when I can do something about it._

_I am truly sorry to hear that your cancer is back. In that respect I do feel I have betrayed you. Two years ago I promised you that I would hold the secret of your cancer to myself. I sincerely hope that you do not succumb to your illness. I hope that you and the rest of Humanity make it to Earth._

_You most likely hate me now. And I will have to live knowing that I have outed your secret. This trial destroyed me. I have lost everyone that is important to me, I have lost my family. The people I worked with don't understand me or my actions. They never tried to._

_But I do not apologize for trying to make sure that our humanity remains intact. That the system of government we once had still exists. That the rights we all had still exist._

_I have to try._

_Sincerely,_

_Lee Adama_

Laura Roslin took off her glasses as she read the last line of his letter. She rested her hand against her chin as she rolled her glasses between her fingers and considered the words she had read.

She was disturbed from her thoughts when she heard a gravelly voice call out, "Madam President."

Laura looked up and saw her military counterpart, the Admiral of the Fleet, William Adama.

"How are you?"

"Fine," she offered with a ghost of a smile.

He raised an eyebrow at her as he returned her smile. They knew the truth, they knew the reality of the situation. Rather than pressing the issue of her illness he decided to comment on the case that had been decided less than an hour ago.

"You got what you wanted and Baltar got what he deserved."

She snorted a small breath as her eyes fell on the letter she had been reading before the interruption.

Her body language aroused Bill's suspicions. "What?"

She remained silent as she looked over the letter again. She shook her head as she grasped the depths of Lee's motives.

He looked at her questioningly, "Baltar got what he deserved."

A sad look came across her face as she realized what role she had in the events that had taken place.

"The system worked, Laura," he reassured her mistaking her facial expressions.

She spoke quietly, "Yes… it did."

The admiral studied her closely. She seemed distant, and he almost sensed a hint of regret in her face and eyes. He spoke softly, "What's bothering you, Laura?"

She looked up at him and studied him carefully. To her it looked like he had aged five to ten years in the course of the last few days. The sadness in and around his eyes was more pronounced. The loss of Kara had affected the man greatly. And now his relationship with Lee…

Her thoughts trailed off as she considered the trial from his point of view.

"Why do you think Lee defended Gaius?"

Bill's eyes became hard as he recalled his last words with his son. "He's resented me for as long as I-"

She quickly interrupted him, "You're wrong Bill."

He studied her and considered her words.

"That's not why he did it. He did it because he believed in something so strongly that he had to give up everything he had. He believed in a system that I had lost sight of."

Silence reigned for several moments as Laura considered what to do next.

"Baltar got what he deserved because the system worked… Because Lee made sure that the system worked." She lifted the pieces of paper off her desk and held it out to the man across the desk from her.

"He hasn't forgotten."

He looked at her questioningly as he reached for the letter. He was surprised to recognize the handwriting as he placed the letter on his lap to begin reading.

"He remembers what we had. What we need to have in order to survive," she offered him those last few words before he began reading.

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A/N: I honestly don't know if I want to or should continue this. Let me know what you think. 


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